5 African countries that export the most diamonds

2 weeks ago 5

5 African countries that export the astir diamonds

By Favour Osah

Diamonds inactive money budgets, towns and jobs crossed Africa. They signifier authorities choices and household incomes. Below are the 5 African countries that exported the astir diamonds recently, what that means successful dollars and who runs the sector.

1. Botswana

Botswana remains the biggest diamond earner successful Africa by value. The Kimberley Process’s 2023 information shows Botswana accounted for astir 8% of planetary rough-diamond export value, which translates to astir $2.9 cardinal connected the 2023 total.

Debswana, the 50/50 task betwixt the authorities and De Beers, dominates production. Diamond gross built hospitals, roads and nationalist services successful past decades.

That cushion weakened successful 2024 erstwhile income fell and Debswana’s income dropped sharply, forcing argumentation changes and caller income strategies. For radical successful Gaborone, that looks similar slower declaration awards and tighter nationalist budgets.

2. Angola

Angola posted 1 of the continent’s largest diamond export totals successful 2023. Official commercialized dashboards database astir $5 cardinal successful diamonds for that year. Most accumulation comes from Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul, with Catoca arsenic a large excavation and SODIAM handling authorities trading.

The manufacture underpins section towns wherever tiny traders and nutrient sellers beryllium connected excavation payrolls. The flip broadside is uneven transparency, and artisanal miners who enactment informally and look mediocre conditions. Recent reporting shows stockpiles rising portion planetary request softened, and the authorities kept a bigger stock of taxation receipts adjacent arsenic gross pressures grew.

3. South Africa

South Africa remains a apical exporter by value. National commercialized bid amusement diamond exports of astir $1.58 cardinal successful 2024. South Africa exports a premix of unsmooth stones and higher-value polished gems. The manufacture supports processing jobs and tiny jewellery businesses successful places similar Kimberley.
Still, miners look outgo pressures and fluctuating planetary demand, which filters down to less caller hires and much declaration enactment alternatively than dependable semipermanent employment.

4. Namibia

Namibia’s diamonds see offshore finds and coastal deposits. 2023 commercialized information lists Namibia’s diamond exports astatine conscionable nether $1 billion.
Namdeb, the associated task betwixt the Namibian authorities and De Beers, handles overmuch of the output. The authorities has utilized diamond revenues to concern infrastructure and societal programs, but the assemblage present faces aging deposits and a anemic market. In 2025, officials publically discussed extending royalty alleviation to enactment operations and jobs. For coastal towns, a dilatory diamond play means quieter markets and less casual jobs.

5. Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s authoritative export figures amusement ample swings, but 2023’s full placed it among Africa’s notable exporters astatine astir $489 million.

Marange fields produced a accelerated roar that transformed section economies. That roar brought jobs and abrupt currency flows. It besides brought disputes implicit land, opaque gross flows, and questions astir however overmuch of the worth reached communities. Monthly commercialized information successful 2024–2025 continued to amusement volatile spikes and falls successful export value.

Caveats and what the numbers hide.
These rankings usage export value, not carats. Value changes rapidly with terms and the premix of ample versus concern stones. Some producing countries way unsmooth stones done hubs specified arsenic India,

Read Entire Article